NAPLES, Fla. — Jane Purdy Berger of Naples, Fla.,
passed away peacefully in the early hours of March 27, 2024, her children at her side.
The daughter of the late John Robert Purdy, Sr. and Effie Elrod Purdy, Jane grew up in the small river port town of Newport in Northeast Arkansas. She spent much of her youth working in her parents’ flower shop. The beauty and language of flowers would be an essential influence in all that she did.
Following her love of fashion, Jane moved to Dallas after graduating from Hendrix College to work as a buyer for Neiman Marcus. While there, she was introduced to Chuck Berger, the college roommate of a friend from her hometown. Chuck and Jane married in 1960 and began their journey of work, travel, and raising their three children. Over the next five decades, they lived in nine cities on four continents. Starting in Cincinnati and continuing to Pittsburgh, London, Milan, New York, Mumbai, Johannesburg and Columbus before settling back in New York and, finally, Naples, Fla.
And “Darlin,” as Jane would say, this small-town girl took to the expat life like a squirrel in a pecan tree. She used her brilliant eye to absorb every detail along the way, deploying her firecracker wit wherever she went.
After studying with James Beard in Pittsburgh, she packed up her epicurean prowess and she and Chuck were on the road. London for two years and then Milan for the next seven. It was in Italy that Jane became a culinary virtuoso. She could sit in a five-star restaurant, take only a few bites, and identify every ingredient and flavor as if she had cooked the dish herself. And then she often did, confidently serving it to family, business associates, and friends. Fancy cuisine aside, her Newport, Ark., pimento cheese is world renown.
The same attention to detail and flair was evident in every gorgeous home she created and every stylish outfit she wore, always with an element of surprise that only Jane could execute. Jane was proud of her heritage and her Southern hospitality and charm made her unforgettable. Jane was insatiably creative, curious, hard-working, and fun! She always sought ways to create art and beauty accessible to her community. And it’s no surprise that she got things done.
She provided extensive support to the Jackson County/W.A. Billingsley Memorial Library and the Walnut Grove Cemetery, both in her home state of Arkansas, and served as the Indus Literary Chair of the British American Club and the Hospitality Chair of the Benvenuto Club of Milan. She was on the Board of Trustees of North Shore Child & Family Guidance, The Columbus Art Museum, and a supporter of The Columbus Symphony.
And, of course, there were flowers…
Jane’s philanthropy extended to the Clark Botanical Garden, the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, and the Sands Point Garden Club. She was one of the founding members of Hat Day at the Franklin Park Conservatory in Columbus, Ohio. For inspiration and joy, she regularly attended the Chelsea Flower Show in London.
From the moment Chuck and Jane arrived in Naples, Fla., in 2000, she brought the same tireless energy and talent to local organizations, throwing herself into Naples Botanical Garden, Naples Art Museum, Gulfshore Playhouse, Greater Naples Leadership, and Naples Community Foundation. She was the CoChair of Friends of Artis and Chair of Living with Art.
One of Jane’s proudest accomplishments was as a founder of Hats in the Garden at Naples Botanical Garden, which celebrated its 20th year on March 20, 2024. She brought to Naples something that started years before and miles away in Columbus, Ohio—an event that consistently supported various philanthropic efforts over many years in both cities.
Jane was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Charles M. Berger, and her brother, John Robert Purdy, Jr. Her surviving children will eternally miss her: Cary Berger and his wife, Lauren Zuckerman, Elizabeth Berger, Valerie and her husband, Daniel Fred, and seven grandchildren, Hazel, Eleanor, Cooper, Rowan, Naomi, Caleb, and Cameron.
A memorial service honoring Jane will be held at Bower Chapel, Moorings Park, in Naples, Fla., on Tuesday, April 2, 2024, at 2 p.m.
Memorials may be made in Jane’s name to the Walnut Grove Cemetery Association.